Holder for cylindrical objects and package thereof



May 30, 197 c. w. NEYER 3,322,259

HOLDER FOR CYLINDRICAL CBJECTS AND PACKAGE THEREOF Filed Sept. 13, 1965 INVENTOR. CHARLES W NEYER W5 55 United States Patent Ofiiice 3,322,269 Patented May 30, 1967 3,322,269 HULDER FUR CYLINDRICAL OBJECTS AND PACKAGE THEREOF Charles W. Neyor, Dome Chemical Corporation, 3474 Cardilf Ave, incinnati, Uhio 45269 Filed Sept. 13, 1965, Ser. No. 586,6556 1 Claim. (Cl. 206--3@) This invention relates to holders for and packages of small articles. More particularly, this invention relates to a holder for a plurality of small cylindrical articles such as flints for pyrophoric lighters and the like.

An object of this invention is to provide a one-piece flat resilient plastic flint holder having a plurality of slots therein for holding a plurality of flints.

A further object of this invention is to provide such a flint holder in which each flint is held in a slot and in which an opening from the slot through one face of the holder is narrower than the diameter of the flint and the opening at an opposite face of the holder is at least as wide as the diameter of the flint so that the flint can be removed through the opening of the other face, and in which tab projections of the slot adjacent the other face of the holder normally retain the flint in the position in the slot.

A further object of this invention is to provide a flint holder of this type in which a pair of lugs project from one face of the holder for extending through openings in a card and in which ribs on the lugs retain the holder on the card.

A further object of this invention is to provide a flint holder of this type in which the lugs are located on the first mentioned face of the holder so that the wider openring in the slot is exposed to permit withdrawal of flints.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains from the following detailed description, and the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view showing a card and a flint holder constructed in accordance with an embodiment of this invention, flints being shown in position therein;

FIG. 2 is a view in section on an enlarged scale taken on the line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the holder with flints in position therein;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view on an enlarged scale showing a portion of the holder and one slot thereof with a flint therein; and

FIG. 5 is a view in section on an enlarged scale taken on the line 5 -5 in FIG. 4.

In the following detailed description, and the drawings, like reference characters indicate like parts.

In FIG. 1 is shown a package constructed in accordance with an embodiment of this invention. The package includes a card which may be of paperboard or the like. The card 10 is provided with holes 11 for use in hanging the card on a support (not shown). On the card is mounted a flint holder 12 which can be of resilient plastic material. The holder 12 is generally plate-like in [form and is provided with a plurality of slots 13, each of which receives a cylindrical object such as a flint 14 for a lighter. As shown most clearly in FIG. 5, at one face 16 of the holder, an opening 17 is provided, which is a portion of the slot 13 and is of a lesser width than the diameter of the flint 14. An opening 18 at the other or opposite face 18a of the holder is of a width at least as wide as the diameter of the flint 14 so that the flint 14 can be removed therethrough. Retainer tabs 19 on the holder along lengthwise edges of the opening 18 overlie the flint to releasably hold the flint in the slot.

On the first face 16 of the holder are provided lugs 21 (FIG. 2) and 22 (FIG. 3) which are cylindrical and project outwardly of the face 16 perpendicularly thereto. Adjacent outer ends of the lugs 21 and 22 are provided outwardly extending annular ribs 23 and 24 respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, the lugs 21 and 22 are received in openings 26 (only one of which is shown) in the card with the ribs outboard of the card to hold the holder on the card. When desired, the holder can readily be removed from the card by forcing the ribs of the lugs through the openings of the card. Flints are firmly held in place in the slots of the holder but can readily be removed by forcing upwardly, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, to displace the retainer tabs 19.

The flint holder and package illustrated in the drawing and described above is subject to structural modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the ap' pended claim.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A package of cylindrical objects which comprises a one-piece resilient plate-like holder having a plurality of elongate apertures therein arranged in a row with their longitudinal axes parallel, each elongate aperture holding one object, each elongate aperture having an opening at one face of the holder of lesser width than the diameter of the object and an opening at an opposite face of the holder of greater width than the diameter of the object and greater length than the length of the object, means at said opposite face of the holder projecting inwardly from a side of said opening to retain the objects in the elongate apertures and being movable from over said objects to release the same upon flexing said holder, and a pair of spaced lugs on the first face of the holder, each of the lugs having an outwardly extending projection spaced from said first face, and a card supporting the holder, the card having openings therein receiving the lugs, the projections engaging the side of the card remote from the side engaged by said first face of the holder and the cards resistance to flexing supplementing the resistance of the holder to flexing and the card linkingly and hracingly cooperating with the lugs to hold same in predetermined relative orientation to provide mechanical linkage cooperation between the holder and the card further resisting flexing of the holder, whereby the holder is mounted on the card to retain the objects in the package.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,083,081 6/ 1937 M011. 2,226,409 12/ 1940 Patterson et a1. 206- 2,633,980 4/1953 .lorgensen 20616 2,687,211 8/1954 Sparks 206--42 3,128,878 4/1964 Ring 20642 3,203,541 8/1965 Rein 206-42 FOREIGN PATENTS 654,352 12/1962 Canada.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. J. M. CASKIE, Assistant Examiner. 

